Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8744 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-02-04
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 119 minutes

Synopsis
Robert Altman's adaptation of Michael Tolkin's novel gives the notorious director a chance to address perhaps his greatest nemesis: the Hollywood studio system. Disguised as a thriller, the film assembles virtually every famous actor in Hollywood to create an exhilarating blend of real life and fiction. Tim Robbins plays Griffin Mill, a studio executive who begins to fear for his job when upstart Larry Levy's (Peter Gallagher) name becomes a hot topic on the lot. After receiving threatening postcards from an unidentified writer, Griffin tracks down David Kahane (Vincent D'Onofrio), who he thinks is the guilty party. The two argue, with disastrous results. Later, as Griffin struggles to keep his job while trying to distance himself from the law, he finds himself falling in love with Kahane's mysterious girlfriend (Greta Scacchi). THE PLAYER is a vicious satire that exposes the Hollywood industry as fraudulent, weak, and shallow. Altman's film also sends up both the noir genre and filmmaking technique, the latter notably in an extended opening shot which is a sprawling one-take that covers the studio's entire lot and features a series of hysterical pitches by actual screenwriters, including Buck Henry offering forth on his concept for THE GRADUATE 2. Bitter and electric, THE PLAYER ends on an ironic upbeat note that perfectly concludes a stellar picture.

Customer Reviews

Excellent film, a who's who of Hollywood
One of my favourite films of the 90's, clever isnt the word. Tim Robbins excells as Hollywood executive Griffin Mill, who gets himself in hot water when dealing with a writer. To make things worse it looks like his job is up for grabs as there are changes happening within his studio. Things dont look good. Someone is out to get him but who..? The Player is packed full of real stars and real screenwriters where brought in to pitch films. Many brilliant performances from Richard E Grants elaborate pitches to Whoppi Goldbergs crafty detective. The in-jokes come thick and fast. All in all, a top notch thriller from Robert Altman. My only criticism is i hoped the new dvd would have better extras. Dont let that put you off though. Top film.

The Greatest Film Ever Made
As a life-long film fan and as somebody who has devoured more films than hot meals, this is quite simply my favourite film of all time, and the film that introduced me to the genius of Robert Altman. Watch this and realise how brilliant and original filmamking can be.

Whoopi Cameo Goldberg
A parody of Hollywood, once more, Gosh. Nothing new will ever be done on that subject. It is a rattlesnake nest and nothing else. Only the details may change but the wider and the finer pictures are always the same. This particular film what's more is showing that everyone hates everyone and that everything is crooked and that all the every's you may think of are all berserk and warped. So what! What's the point? Is there a point? A no star film that ends up with stars. A bad ending that becomes good , they say happy, I know. An author who sells his skin for a million dollars. An exec that sells his soul for ten times more. Each million of those ten millions are extracted from the bones of one body turned into corpse. Morbid, morbid, morbid ! You kill someone and then within a week you make his girlfriend pregnant to compensate for the death and then you drop your own girlfriend because she is becoming too much of an inside job whereas the new one is outlandish and in a completely different job. A witness in a line-up who goes for the cop in the line-up who is one foot shorter than the murderer - and we know who he is - and meager and dark-skinned, in one word just the absolute opposite of the murderer she has in front of her own eyes and with a cop who is definitely leading her. What a witness. She saw nothing. Such a film can only get a prize in Cannes, France, because that's the kind of melodramatic satire the French can swallow and yet pretend it is fresh milk. And what's more it takes the audience for retarded baboons. Who is still afraid of the big bad Hollywood rattlesnake? Who is indeed? A big yawning deception.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris Dauphine, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne & University Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines